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Basketball: Booneville’s Ward Enters Record Book

BOONEVILLE — Booneville’s Brittany Ward can beat most people off the dribble.

Two bad knees and all.

Despite those gimpy knees, Ward will finish her career with more than 1,000 points, 300 or more rebounds and 200-plus assists. Plus, she is six steals shy of reaching the 200 mark in that statistic.

“My team has helped make me the player I am today,” Ward said. “We’re really a close team. I guess it’s because we don’t have much depth. We’re never bitter or mad at each other.”

Beginning with Karen Wilkins in the early 1990s, Ward is the school’s fifth player to post 1,000 points or more. She won’t catch Wilkins (who scored 1,444 points between 1992-95) or Amy Swint (1,223 points nearly a decade ago), but Ward is within striking distance of Jenny Mikles as the school’s third all-time scorer.

Despite posting that many points, Booneville coach Jay Loyd sometimes has to encourage Ward to be selfish and not pass as much.

“She’s a real sensitive kid who wants to get her teammates involved,” Loyd said. “There have been times this year when I’ve had to tell her, ‘We need you score.’ It’s not a role she enjoys.”

Even after an ACL injury in the fall, Ward has led by example, and usually because she’s the only option. She is averaging 15.2 points per game this season.

“She would rather not be the leading scorer,” Loyd said. “She’s scored a lot of points and hit a lot of 3s, but she’s not a selfish player. She would gladly grade all that for this team to win.”

That attitude comes from Ward being around older players when she was younger.

“I started practicing with the senior high kids in the eighth grade,” Ward said. “I really wanted to be a leader. Being around the older kids, I learned a lot.”

Booneville’s 6-15 record includes just two conference victories, including a stunning come-from-behind win against Dover last week. For one night, the stars were all aligned. Things quickly returned to form Tuesday, however, when Booneville blew a seven-point lead in the final four minutes against Mena.

“Even though our record doesn’t show it, we’re right there,” Ward said. “I think if we play like we were down against Dover, we can beat anybody.”

Booneville can still earn a trip to regionals, like it did last season with two wins at the district tournament.

“Sometimes it takes us being at the bottom of the barrel before we respond,” Ward said. “I wish I knew why.”